Chapter 9: Old "friends" (20 BBY)

The war had changed many things. Ever since the discovery of the clone army and the first battle of Geonosis Kenobi felt as if everything had changed. The people's trust in the Jedi was at an all time low as rumors of corruption spread around the worlds of the Republic. The dark side too was becoming ever more prevalent. It was perhaps this that led him to level 1313 – the council members' minds being corrupted as the dark side travelled through the temple as if a breeze of air. It was the only reason Obi-Wan thought that his fellow council members would come to the conclusion that this needed to be done.

The quality of life on Coruscant dropped the lower you went while there was an opposite effect on crime. Beyond a certain level there weren't even any police forces anymore, leaving the poor citizens to fight for survival. Murders, theft, pretty much any criminal activity was rampant in the lower levels of Coruscant. Level 1313 was sort of a middle ground. There were police forces but they were insufficient in numbers to counteract the ever-expanding criminal network.

Obi-Wan stepped out of the turbolift that had carried him more than a hundred levels downward. Far away from his ship and being alone in a place where robberies were normal at this point would leave most people afraid but Obi-Wan had been in similar situations many times in his life and he trusted his negotiation skills to get him through unscathed as they did many times before. But you could never be safe enough so he kept his hand close to his saber underneath his hooded cloak that masked his identity nicely. It would only spell trouble it was found out that a Jedi was roaming the lower levels.

He casually started making his way down the neon-lit roads and alleys, avoiding coming into close contact as much as possible. The streets were filled with vendors who desperately tried to sell what Kenobi could only describe as junk. There were also many services being offered, some more honorable than others. He was offered many things along the way such as some homegrown herbs that would increase brain activity, "personal defense weapons", there were even a couple of young ladies that were offering him "a nice time" all of which he denied accordingly.

After a long stroll he finally came upon what he was looking for – a cantina. Not one of those fancy cantinas next to the main streets that were lit up with large neon signs but a cantina that barely looked like a cantina from the outside. The entrance was situated in a dark alleyway where nobody but the people who knew what they were looking for would go. Many not friendly-looking faces were outside, only reinforcing Kenobi's thoughts of being in the right place. He descended the few narrow steps down to the heavy metal door before pushing it in and entering the dimly lit space.

The music in the cantina was loud enough as to where Kenobi couldn't even hear what the people next to him were talking about as he made his way to the bar. He sat down on the far-left side of the bar which was empty enough so nobody would hear him while he spoke to the bartender.

"What can I get you?" an old lady behind the counter asked him loudly.

He leaned forward. "I'm looking for someone," he said. "A bounty hunter."

The old lady nodded to herself for a few moments. "Come with me," she said.

Obi-Wan followed the old lady. She opened yet another large metal door. The room they entered was the exact copy of the other room only that it was reversed. The soft pink and purple lighting the other room had was gone instead being replaced by very dim blue lights which barely helped to light up the room. The music was also gone, being replaced by the gossip of the people in the room.

Obi-Wan was met with a few stares but those thankfully quickly went away. "Are you looking for someone specific?" she asked.

He took a good look around the room. Most of the bounty hunters there seemed like regular brutes, nothing he needed. "Who is the most well-known here?"

"Nobody in particular. Although I overheard that gentleman there talking about being off-world," she answered pointing at the far right corner of the room.

The room was too dark for Obi-Wan to make out the details but he was sure that the man or woman was staring directly at him. He turned to the bartender. "Thank you for your help," he said before starting towards the table.

He sat down on the opposite bench. "You're a bounty hunter, right? Are you available for hire?" Obi-Wan asked.

The bounty hunter had one of his legs on the bench he was sitting on. Wearing a hood over his head and a scarf over half his face, Obi-Wan couldn't even see if the bounty hunter was paying attention to him.

"I don't think you came to the right place. Your kind isn't really known for being fond of such establishments. But I can't turn down a business opportunity from a Jedi now can I?" the bounty hunter said before to Obi-Wan's surprise lifting his lightsaber from beneath the table. Obi-Wan was already in the process of getting ready for a fight before the bounty hunter quickly prompted him to sit back down and slid his lightsaber across the table back to him.

"How did you know?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We're old acquaintances," the bounty hunter answered. He removed the scarf that covered the bottom half of his face before pulling down his hood.

"C-Cindo?" Obi-Wan asked in confusion. "I… How…"

"Come with me," Cindo said, pulling his hood back up and standing up. Obi-Wan followed him past another metal door to what seemed to be rentable rooms. "My room's the one before the last on the left. The code is 3327. I'll be right with you."

For the first time in a long long time did Obi-Wan feel guilt creeping up on him. He pushed all objection's of Cindo's request away and made way to the door. He punched in the four numbers and the door swiped open, revealing a dark room, illuminated by the neon signs outside. He barely made a step into the room and he felt a sudden immense pain going through the entirety of his body which sent him falling to the ground.

A few seconds later loud footsteps could be heard quickly traversing the hallway. "HK stop!" Cindo ordered and all the pain suddenly went away but Obi-Wan was still unable to move. Only then did he find out he was hit by an electrified web. Cindo helped him out of it and set him on his feet.

"I'm sorry about this mess," Cindo said before turning around.

Obi-Wan's mind and vision had cleared up enough that he was able to make out a large droid with bright orange yellow eyes on the opposite side of the room.

"What did I tell you?" Cindo asked the droid.

"To not kill anybody," the droid said. "The meatbag's not dead," the droid added with a hint of proudness in its voice.

Cindo shook his head and sighed in exasperation before turning back to Obi-Wan. "What did you say you were here for?"

"What happened to you?" Obi-Wan asked. "Where were you all these years?"

"I think what you meant to say is what happened to me after I escaped before you could wipe my mind and throw me away in some deserted world never to come in contact with any Jedi ever again?" Cindo said angrily.

"How…"

"Don't even. I'm in a good mood so I'll tell you how…"


9 years ago

For the second time in his life Cindo felt completely alone. After he woke up he found himself locked in a room on a ship. After the ship had landed on Coruscant a couple of Jedi led him to a room in the Temple, their only command being for him to not leave the room. He sat down on the one bed in the room and pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. He had no idea what was going on.

"What's going on?" he thought to himself.

"Nothing particularly good."

Cindo froze. He looked up slowly and saw the two woman from the vision standing there. They looked as if they were actually there.

"You aren't real," he argued.

"We are. And we are here to help you," Keira said, moving closer and sitting on the bed.

"Help me?" Cindo asked. He did nothing wrong why would they help him? And how were they in the same room as him? This had to be part of a nightmare or another vision he was having.

"There are many things you don't know about your true nature. There is a darkness within our blood, a darkness which has tainted our family for generations. It only appears in the ones that are force sensitive and it lurks until it sees a moment of weakness, using it to strike and take control," Keira explained. "You were on the brink of falling to its influence when we helped you."

"You said you were my ancestors. How are you here? Didn't you die thousands of years go?"

"We did. But our connection to the Force is strong enough so that we can be here. Nobody else can see us or hear us but you. The one that taught us how to do this says that it has something to do with being of the same bloodline," Keira said, pausing for a moment. "You must come with us."

"Why?"

"We are only to stop the darkness momentarily. If you do not conquer it, it will eventually become strong enough to overpower us. You must travel to an ancient planet where we learned how to conquer it. We will guide you and teach you along the way."

"But why can't you do it here?" Cindo argued. "The Jedi would help. They trust me."

Keira's expression turned into a sad one. She looked at Myria who had been with her back against the wall the entire time, inspecting her fingernails. "They don't trust you anymore," she said monotonously. "Actually they're discussing how to get rid of you right now."

"But I didn't do anything!"

"No you didn't," Keira started. "We were too slow and didn't manage to stop the darkness in time. It took control of you for a couple of moments, long enough to strangle your opponent."

Cindo began tearing up. "I can explain to them…"

Keira interrupted him. "They won't believe you. I was in a similar situation. I was left alone. The council decided that it would be best for them to cleanse my mind of all memories and leave me on some planet in the outer rim. You may be faced with the same if not a worse fate."

Thinking for a couple of moments, he wiped his tears away and looked at them. "Okay. I'll do it."

Keira shifted closer to him and took his hand. Cindo's eyes widened at the fact that he could feel her gloved hands touching his. "I know it's hard. You're very young and the things you went through, I wouldn't wish them upon everybody else. But I promise you we will help you every step of the way."

And in the blink of an eye the two women disappeared with Cindo's hand subconsciously still suspended in the air. He contemplated the reality of everything that had happened. He wanted it to not be real but the more and more he thought about the events the more the whole situation began hitting him in the head.

Making way for the door he sensed a life signature right on the other side of it. He took a deep breath and pressed a button that opened the door revealing a Jedi guarding the door on the other side. The man turned towards him with his hand on his lightsaber hilt. Just as he was about to say something he froze before falling forwards.

Cindo confused looked at the unconscious body for a couple of short moments before he began running towards the Jedi Temple hangars. Luckily for him it was late so the giant hall he was traversing was mostly empty. The few temple guards who passed him on the way were easily avoided by him hiding behind the giant pillars. He eventually came upon the side hallway that would lead him to one of the hangars but he found himself unable to move forward. The hallway opposite to him led to the room where his clan resided. More than anything he wanted to go and say goodbye to everyone especially Raz'yel and Ahsoka. Yet he couldn't risk it. The unconscious Jedi would surely be found soon, giving Cindo no time to linger. Instead all that was left as a goodbye was a tear that dropped from his cheek down on to the carpet below him.

The hangar was nearly empty except for two temple guards that patrolled the large open space. One of the ships, a T-6 shuttle was primed and ready to be used. Cindo had never flown an actual ship but he had hundreds of hours in the simulators.

Sneaking his way through the maze of boxes, supplies and machinery, he made sure to keep out of sight of the two guards. Once he was close to the ship he saw one of the doors open. A Jedi frantically entered the room and told the guards to be on high alert for an youngling. They were also told to lock down the hangar immediately, which lowered Cindo's time of easing into piloting an actual ship if he would be able to get onboard in the first place. He was a few meters away from the ramp when he was forced to duck, letting one of the guards go past him. He quickly peeked his head out from above the boxes and saw that the guard was headed for the hangar door control panel.

Taking another glance around the hangar, locating the other guard, he dashed for the ramp. Quickly ascending it, he left it open for the time being as to not raise attention. Cindo knew there was no way for him to turn on the ship and fly it out before the guards would close the hangar bay doors, so he made a quick search of the ship. In the storage compartment he found a belt of 3 EMP grenades which he snapped off the rack and took with him to the cockpit. He began the ignition sequence before running out of the ship and after a few moments of attempting to prime one of the grenades he threw it at the guard who had been alerted by the engine noises.

Thinking it was a thermal detonator, the guard jumped away from the grenade. Cindo ran back up the ramp and quickly retracted it before the other guard could enter the ship. From the cockpit he observed the control panel sparking which enabled him to carefully take off and head for space.

When he was out of the atmosphere he looked at the navicomputer and noticed that the location had changed itself on its own. "So, where are we going?" he asked the two women.

"Odessen."